Vacuum nozzle heads or vacuum nozzles for vacuum cleaners are known. Further, so-called squeegee devices for removing liquid materials from windows and floors are also known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,007 discloses a snap together wet nozzle device for use with a vacuum cleaner. The nozzle head includes a means for attaching a squeegee device to the rear wall or rear edge of the nozzle head. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,198 discloses a nozzle head wherein a brush or a squeegee may be snapped into a central portion of the nozzle head.
The problem associated with both of these devices is that neither device is particularly efficient at removing liquid from a floor when the nozzle head is drawn backward or toward the user. Essentially, the liquid on the floor is not efficiently directed towards the vacuum inlet and therefore the liquid is not efficiently sucked up off of the floor during a typical retracting stroke whereby the nozzle head is drawn towards the user or rearwardly.
Similarly, an older patent, U.S. Pat. No. 954,541 discloses a scrubbing device whereby squeegee elements, or flexible rubber-type strips are mounted on both the forward and rearward edges of the nozzle. This device is inefficient for a wet vacuum cleaner as one of the squeegee elements always directs liquid away from the vacuum inlet and outside of the area defined by the nozzle opening.
Another problem associated with the above-referenced devices is the requirement that the squeegee element be fabricated separately from the nozzle housing. The squeegee elements are either snap-fitted into place (U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,007) or secured to the nozzle housing with some sort of fastener elements such as screws (U.S. Pat. No. 954,541). However, today's vacuum cleaner nozzle housings are fabricated from injection molded or blow molded plastic. In today's competitive market, manufacturing efficiencies results in lower manufacturing costs and more competitive pricing. Therefore, there is a need for an improved vacuum nozzle housing which has an integrated squeegee device that is molded with the nozzle housing itself.